Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-19

| the uprising on IacOn century Uc''iN
and had animated the continuous struB
gle since swept the colonies into reyo-
| luton now.
The stamp act of 1866 set the colo
MES into fame; and from this time 10
the outbreak of fragrant war, decade
later. the people stood with steadiast
| faces set against all encrOachment, ana
when the time came for war the South
sprang to arms. She did not enter
upon the enterprise from ignorance oil
her danger nor yet in recklesjness.
The southern planter cent his son To
! England 10 be educated, and many oil
the men who sat in the great conyen-
tlOps, or who subscribed the DECLARE
ton OF Independence, had been them
selves educated in England, and knew |
iull well the magnitude Of the hazard
thcy were Assuming III instItl'tIn8 WIN
n handful Of Struggling colonies reV0G-
lution against a power which made
Chatham the ruler Of Europe, ana |
which only generation later tore the
victorious eagles of Napoleon himself
They knew all this full well, and yet |
for the sake Of those principles, OF
those rights and liberties which they |
believed were theirs Of right, and which |
they meant to transmit undlmlniShed
to their children, they gave up wealth |
and ease and sccurity-blazoned on
their standard the motto Virginia Tor |
Constitutional Liberty and launched
undauntcd on the sea Of revolution.
There is am incident connected with |
the signing of the Declaration OF indie
rcndcnce which illustrates at once the |
character Of the southern planter, and
the point am ondeayoring to make.
You NAV have observed in looking |
over the signcrs of the Declaration OF |
independence that Charles Carroll, OF
Maryland, subscribed himself " Charles
Carroll, Of Carrolton.
Unless you know the story it would |
appear that simple arrogance prompted
such n subscription. The facts, how
ever. were these It was a serious oc-
casion. and a solemn act this group OF |
men were performing, assembled to NJ
! fix their names TO this document which |
was To- be forever barrier between |
them and Great Britain. 1t had not |
been so very long since the headsman's
axe had fallen for less overt treason |
than they were then publicly declaring,
and if they failed they were like to feel
its weight or else to meet yet more |
disgraccful death.
Benjamin Franklin had just replied
TO the remark, we must all hang to-
cether." with his famous pleasantly,
eyes. or We shall all hang separately
when Carroll, perhaps the wealthiest
man in Maryland, took the pen. Ashe
signed bis name, Charles Carroll, and
rose from his seat, some one sail:
Carroll. YOU will get off easily there
are 50 many Charles CAROLS they will
never know which one it is. 80 Carroll
walked back to the table. and selling
the pen again, stoopedand wrote under
bis name. "of Carrollton. "
They affixed their names to the De
c'aration. comprchcnding thcperil they
were Drawing as we'll as they did the
PROPOSITIONS which they wcrr enuncla-
| ting to the world. and they inten led to
SHOULDER all tine responsibility o! their
act.
Flow the South bore itself in the
great struggle is well known, | hal /
almost said ~ every s'hOOlbOy but / .
forgot. and ! shall advert to this when .
! conc to speak OF the needs OF the /
South fora written history.
NASGLrp And TORN.
She EMERGED from the Revolution .
mauglcd and torn. but free. aud with F.
the Anglo-Saxou spirit whetted by sac .
cess and intensified She emerged, /
also. with Ecr character already cStlb-
| liohcd. and with those qualities perma- /
ncntly fixed which subsequently came
10 bee known through their results as
the southern civilization
Succeeding the Revolution came a
period not very distinctly marked in
The common idea Of important steps,
bat full of hazard and equally replete
with pregnant results "A period in
which the loose and impotcnt conted-
Grafton became. through the patriotism
of the South. this Union.
At last. the Constitution was some
what of a compromise. and the powers
not expressly delegated to Congress
were reserved t. each state in her SOY
crcign capacity, and it was upon this
la,i, simply that the Union va. estab-
li.hcd.
It may throw light on the part that
the South took in thi, to recall the ia"t
that when the point Wa, made that Viz
ginia should reliuqui~h her northwest
cn territory Virginia coded 10 the
country without reservation tine tarr-
tory stretching north To- the great lakes
, and west 20 the Father of Waters.
She granted II without consideration
and without grldgiug. "a, she had
always given generously whenever she
was called upon, and when She had
stripped herself Of her flirc,t domain
i'm rctribution. third OF the small part
which She lad retained Wa, torn
from her without giving her even
a voice to protest AGAINST it. There =
no act OF the civil war or of its OF
spring. the dlvs Of reconstruction,
50 arbitrary, So tyrInuirI. ami So nm
justiiablc.
TIT Old sovrH. AGAIN.
Put I am speaking OF thc old south
When the South emerged from the
Evolutionary war her character wa, J
have stated. definitely recognized ~
manifestin2 the qualities which com.
biued to give her civilization. tine p'-
caiiar ard stiorely-muked trait, tn,t
have made 1t since distinctive among
the Epclsh-spoakiug races. And in
the succeeding var, these trait, BE-
came more and more prominent.
The guiding principle of tie South
bad steadily been what may term
public spirit. devotion tothe rights and
Liberties OF .hc citizen. the embodiment
Of which III form Of government was
APPLY termed the Commonwealth.
TO this gave place even the aristo-
cratic sentiment. The southerner was
attached to the British mode Of in
hcritance. yet he did away with the law
of promogenitnrc ne was devoted to
the traditions Of his Church, yet he de-
clared for religious freedom. and not
only dsostablshcd the Church, but
coufscated and made common the
church lands, and it is due to the South
~ 4 L..